Benjamin Choi

Hey bud I'm not planning on unloading my 911 anytime soon! I still very much enjoy the drive even after having driven the 360. It feels like gt coupe in comparison.

I definitely would want the drop top over the coupe. With Ferrari's, due to the mid-engine layout, the drop top in some ways looks better than the coupe whereas in the 911... it just does not translate well (not a dig at the cab guys here).

I'll always have my trusty Jeep Cherokee 4.0 4x4. I wouldn't DD any car sports car/gt coupe. I always would want a trusty utility car I don't necessarily beat on per se (I take good care of my cars), but just throw stuff in like dogs and mud and costco junk with 0 worries.

Is Katana a pretty siq place to be? I'll be at the Mondrian next weekend and hoping for some good weather. I hear the Sky Bar is pretty tite.

Paul 996

Hey Ben,

Do yourself a favor and drive a 2003-2004 Maserati Spyder GT or Coupe GT. Would be interested in your comparo to the 360. I went to look/drive one with a buddy and honestly can't believe how friggin cheap they are these days... sweet music from that 390 hp 4.2L V8

Benjamin Choi

if someone threw me the keys and said go for a spin, i would. but in all honesty, paul, i couldn't care less about any maseratis even that new catfish looking coupe that's coming to market.

it's cheap for a reason. nobody cares about it. i mean not nobody, but certainly not I. to me, it's an old man's car. sure way back when it may have had an identity in motorsport, but for me... i just can't relate and there's just too many other cool brands/cars that i love (obviously p-cars, f-cars et al)

plus, outside of ferrari/lambo/pagani etc i really don't trust anything italian.. if not for the prestige and history of such brands, would I buy an italian commuter car over say a japanese one? no way.

and i know from a detailer that does all the work for the ferrari seattle dealership... he said that the maseratis are cheaply made (they undo panels and such to do the full on $2000 detail jobs).

Paul 996

interesting observation.. I'll pass that on to the potential buyer. I was just impressed with the engine and gearbox. Oh and the noise

Jake Ok

Why not wait for the Porsche Carma.
http://www.porschecarma.sup.fr/

Paul 996

The reason I brought up the Maser is that it struck me as a poor mans Fcar.

Benjamin Choi

i don't wanna drive a poor man's anything

Benjamin Choi

Waiting for Godot

ArneeA

Yet you and I drive the poor man's Turbo. j/k I love the C4S as a NA car, not as a watered-down Turbo.

Benjamin Choi

How'd I guess someone would say that? "11" steps up to the plate predictably.

Unless you're driving a Buagtti Veyron or a McLaren F1, you can be a poor automobile man to a lot of other dudes.

And if I wanted a Turbo, I would've gotten one, but like you I don't do turbos.

At least the 911 is the flagship Porsche model. We're good.

ArneeA

I think I'd take an Aston over a Ferrari, BTW

Benjamin Choi

I'd take the DBS over the 360, but would take the 430 over the DBS. Pretty simple logic.

Jake Ok

Grasshopper, the Aston DBS is currently the best looking car on the planet?

BruceP

Just not the same to me since they stopped making their engines. The Aston thing used to be all about the hand-built motor. Enthusiasts claimed to be able to tell which guy at the factory had built a given motor just by the sound. Lots of great folklore. Now, Aston has amazing motors, there's no doubt. But they're Fords. The V12 block casting is literally 2 x the Taurus/Escape V6 motor, with practically the same specific output.

To me, that takes it out of the old-school, legendary supercar club and puts it into a category where performance and looks are its only reasons for being. Just not the same, to me, fully acknowledging that it's got plenty of both.

Trivia question: What do Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Porsche have in common? They all have tractors in their past. The 'DB' in Aston's model nomenclature stands for David Brown. Seriously.

Okay, I'll shut up now.

Benjamin Choi

The only way for me to say outright that I don't want the DBS over a similarly priced F-car because it's no longer handbuilt back in a time when I probably wasn't even alive or just a toddler... is to actually drive the thing. Maybe that'll happen sooner or later, who knows. At this point, it's all conjecture. I just don't know. I do know what it looks like and I like what I am seeing a lot.

And I absolutely love the Vanquish S and would love one in the latest year model with the manual 6-speed as I've read its semi automatic sucks.

Like so except in dark gray:



The Vanq S is still better looking than the DBS, but I'd love the DBS because it is the best looking GT coupe being produced today. I'd slam that thing on a set of 20" Work Brombachers and I'd be good to go. It would look so insane I'd poop my pants on sight.

Now, my guess is the F430 is jus going to drive so much better and sound so much more "FERRARI" that there'd be no way I could go back into the rather sedate confines of the DBS to ever pick it over the prancing horsey mobile.